Bethesda North Hospital

TriHealth promises patient-centered care focused on you, your baby, and your birth plan. Our OB-GYN physicians offer comprehensive maternity care, but we also provide care for women seeking services including midwifery, natural childbirth, and high-risk pregnancy care.

Maternal Care
- Family Birthing Centers
- Maternal-fetal medicine
- Midwife Services
- Preconception Care
- Prenatal Care
- Childbirth and Parenting Education
- Maternity and Parenting Classes
- Obstetrical Services
- Centering Pregnancy
- Natural Childbirth
- Lactation Services (Breastfeeding)
- Welcomes Doulas

Infant Care
- Level II Harold and Margaret Thomas Special Care Nursery
- Pediatric Specialty Services
- Neonatal Care
- Gold Safe Sleep Champion

Mama Certification

Infant Care

Hospitals are awarded points for their certification based on guidelines that assign each metric a point value, which is split into parts based on the sub-questions in each metric. Hospitals receive points by sharing some or all of the metrics data.

View Full report

METRICS	FINDINGS	PROGRESS
Health Equity on Race & Ethnicity Infant mortality rates are substantially higher for Black infants than for White infants in the United States. In 2021, Black babies were nearly 5 times more likely to die than White babies. Health disparities are preventable poor health outcomes experienced by populations disadvantaged by their social or economic status, geographic location, and environment. By monitoring health outcomes by race and ethnicity, hospital facilities can adapt processes and policies to provide more equitable quality care and improve the health outcomes of their patient populations.	This hospital facility has the ability to track infant health performance measures by race and ethnicity to assess potential disparities but does not do so at this time. Actions are being taken to address disparities in health outcomes related to infant care. The hospital facility utilizes a case management model in the OBGYN Center to manage health disparities for underserved women and children. This model specifically supports Black and Brown mothers in ensuring a healthy pregnancy and birth, and the hospital facility tracks infant outcomes that result from this measure (birth weight and gestation).
Breastfeeding Breastfeeding boosts the immune system and brain development, reduces the risk of infection, and reduces the risk of infant mortality. Racial disparities in breastfeeding rates can have a significant impact on infant health outcomes. Studies have found that Black mothers are less likely to initiate breastfeeding than their White counterparts and are more likely to stop breastfeeding before their infant is six months old. The national rate of exclusive breastfeeding in 2019 is 62.6%. Ohio’s rate of exclusive breastfeeding in 2021 is 51.7%.	The percentage of babies exclusively breastfed or fed breast milk while the newborn is at this hospital facility is lower than the 2021 Ohio Average of 51.7%. The hospital facility does not participate in the Ohio First Steps for Healthy Babies breastfeeding program. The facility participates in a similar program but has not been awarded any stars to date. The hospital facility promotes, protects and supports breastfeeding in their organization. The hospital promotes, protects and supports breastfeeding in their organization through inpatient and outpatient clinical education; breastfeeding classes; lactation support after delivery; postpartum breastfeeding supporting breastfeeding clinic; and a breastfeeding support line.
Unexpected Complications in Term Newborns The most important childbirth outcome for families is bringing home a healthy baby. While there have been measures developed to assess clinical practices and outcomes in preterm infants, there is a lack of metrics that assess the health outcomes of term infants who represent over 90% of all births. No existing national or Ohio baseline data exists yet for this metric as it is defined by the Joint Commission. The overall local rate for newborns with severe complications and moderate complications from eight hospital-based birthing facilities in Butler and Hamilton County in 2021 is 2.59%.	Newborn complications at this hospital facility are slightly higher than the 2021 Hamilton and Butler County average of 2.59%. This hospital facility has the ability to track this performance measure by race and ethnicity to assess potential disparities but does not do so at this time.
Safe Sleep Safe sleep is important because it helps to reduce the risk of sudden unexplained infant death (SUID). It is recommended that babies sleep on their back, in a crib or bassinet that meets current safety standards and is free of loose bedding, pillows, and stuffed animals. Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is a well-known category of SUID. Racial disparities in sleep-related infant deaths are significant and contribute to the overall disparity in infant mortality rates. Black infants are more than twice as likely to die from a SUID as White infants.	The hospital facility implements a safe sleep screening procedure and has a Gold level accreditation from Cribs for Kids Upon admission to the Mom Baby Unit (MBU), the facility asks each family if they have a safe place for baby to sleep. If the answer is no, there is a social work and Ohio Department of Health referral and the family receives a pack and play before discharge from the hospital facility. The Ohio Department of Health safe sleep video is also played for each family upon admission to the MBU. The NICU Care Coordinators and Social Workers talk to families about their preparedness for baby's discharge and needed supplies /resources. They help with procuring whatever resources are needed.
Mama Certified Promotion The Mama Certified badge is a symbol of commitment and trust that should be present during a mom’s entire birthing journey, from prenatal care to postpartum support. For bringing about change, visibility and repetition is key. These visual reminders are not only important for moms but also for staff.	The hospital facility demonstrates its public commitment to Mama Certified through the distribution of physical, digital and portable communication tools. The hospital facility will share graphics and messaging on TriHealth social channels, TriHealth.com, BabyScripts (prenatal app) and MyChart. The hospital facility will include physical signage in the practices and in the hospital facility.
Training & Staff Engagement Training helps hospital staff recognize that biases exist and helps them take steps to reduce the impact of those biases on workplace interactions and decisions.	The hospital facility has actively participated in training and engagement of staff as it relates to Mama Certified. Implicit bias training has been provided to 100% of Perinatal Programs and Services staff at both hospital facilities by the Vincent Brown Group. This work has been completed over the past two years and remains ongoing as new hires enter the organization. TriHealth's Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Belonging (DEI+B) department offers implicit bias training to all TriHealth team members, including ED staff, throughout the year. The majority (>50%) of Women's Health and OBGYN staff have participated in the online ‘Intro to Mama Certified’ training offered by Cradle Cincinnati. Four members of hospital facility leadership serve on the Cradle Cincinnati Learning Collaborative Circle of Advisors.
Center the Voices of Patients with Lived Experiences with Queens Village Centering the voices of those with lived experiences is essential for creating a more inclusive, equitable, and empathetic society. It fosters a culture of listening, learning, and empathy, ultimately leading to better outcomes for all members of society.	The hospital facility is actively working with Queens Village to center the voices of patients with lived experiences. The hospital facility will participate in quarterly dialogue meetings with a facility-specific Queens Village Patient Family Advisory Board (PFAC) composed of Black mothers, hospital staff and leaders to collaborate on co-creating strategies supporting equitable maternal and infant health.
Pathways to Improvement Crafting strategies to improve maternal and infant health is essential for driving systemic change by enabling targeted interventions, fostering collaboration and engagement, facilitating learning and adaptation, and building momentum for sustained impact. It provides a structured approach to addressing complex systemic issues and achieving meaningful and lasting transformation.	The hospital facility has outlined the following strategies to improve maternal and infant health. OBGYN Center will provide obstetrics and gynecological services to all, with special attention to health disparities and the underserved, improving mortality outcomes and women’s health. Woman-Centered Medical Home model will provide a complex network of care, delivered by dedicated case managers, social workers, lactation consultants, behavioral health consultants, community health workers, financial counselors, and legal aid consultants to provide excellent care while addressing social determinants of health. HOPE program will provide patient-centered care to chemically dependent pregnant women improving birth outcomes and maternal substance-free outcomes. The Compassionate Respectful and Equitable (CaRE) Project will address social determinants of health for pregnant and postpartum patients through screenings and connection to community resources, receive patient feedback and adjust care delivery models to meet patient needs, and offer race stratification of patient feedback. The hospital facility participates in the following initiatives to improve maternal and infant health: Ohio Council to Advance Maternal Health (OH-CAMH).
	The hospital facility received 83.9% of the measurable points for the Infant Care Focus Area.	83.9%

Maternal Care

Hospitals are awarded points for their certification based on guidelines that assign each metric a point value, which is split into parts based on the sub-questions in each metric. Hospitals receive points by sharing some or all of the metrics data.

view full report

METRICS	FINDINGS	PROGRESS
Health Equity on Race & Ethnicity Black mothers die at more than two and half times the rate of other mothers in Ohio (Ohio Department of Health, 2020) regardless of their parents´ socio-economic status or health behaviors. Multiple factors contribute to these disparities, such as variations in quality healthcare, underlying chronic conditions, structural racism, and implicit bias. Health disparities are preventable disparate outcomes to optimal health experienced by populations disadvantaged by their social or economic status, geographic location, and environment. By doing so, hospitals can adapt processes and policies to provide more equitable quality care and improve the health outcomes of their patient populations.	The hospital facility tracks maternal health performance measures by race and ethnicity to assess potential disparities. Patients are assessed at new OB visit for SDOH and assigned TriHealth clinical and support resources according to needs. Patients are also connected to community resources and provided with supplies such as cribs and car seats as necessary. This facility participates in the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) Alliance for Innovation in Maternal Health (AIM) Hypertension Project and the ODH/AIM Hemorrhage project.
Scheduled Early Delivery (Elective Delivery) The Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services has identified this measure as a key area to improve maternal and infant health. By providing care to pregnant individuals that follows best practices that advance health care quality, safety, and equity, hospitals and doctors can improve chances for a safe delivery and a healthy baby. Guidelines developed by doctors and researchers say it’s best to wait until the 39th completed week of pregnancy to deliver the baby because important fetal development takes place in the baby’s brain and lungs during the last few weeks of pregnancy. The national average rate of elective deliveries in 2022 is 2%. The Ohio average rate of elective deliveries in 2022 is 2%.	The hospital facility never scheduled deliveries earlier than recommended during the reporting period.
Low-Risk Cesarean Births Cesarean deliveries place birthing individuals and infants at higher risk for adverse outcomes. Reducing the rate of cesarean births for individuals at low risk from a vaginal birth provides an opportunity to improve both maternal and infant health.	The rate of low-risk cesareans at this facility is slightly higher than the 2021 Ohio average rate of 26.3%. This hospital facility has the ability to track disparities in this area by race and ethnicity but currently does not.
Birthing-Friendly Hospital The Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services has identified this measure as a key area to improve maternal and infant health. Perinatal Quality Improvement Collaborative programs can help reduce racial disparities in maternal health outcomes by promoting access to evidence-based practices, providing education and training on racial disparities and health disparities, and engaging with communities to create culturally sensitive care models.	The hospital facility has met the criteria to be recognized as Birthing-Friendly. Hospital facility participates in a statewide and/or national perinatal quality improvement collaborative program aimed at improving maternal outcomes during inpatient labor, delivery, and postpartum care. Hospital facility has implemented patient safety practices or bundles related to maternal morbidity to address complications, including, but not limited to, hemorrhage, severe hypertension/preeclampsia or sepsis. Hospital facility participates in Ohio Department of Health/Alliance for Innovation in Maternal Health Hypertension and Hemorrhage projects.
Smoking Cessation Support Smoking cessation is important to maternal health because smoking can cause serious health risks for pregnant people and their babies. Smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of premature birth, low birth weight, stillbirth, and birth defects. Additionally, smoking can lead to a host of other health problems including increased risk of miscarriage, increased risk of ectopic pregnancy, and increased risk of placenta previa. Quitting smoking before or during pregnancy can help reduce these risks and ensure a healthier pregnancy.	The hospital facility provides smoking cessation resources for women and birthing people. Smoking cessation resources for women and birthing people include nicotine patches, referral to Ohio Quitline, and Maternity Resource Guide.
Postpartum Mental Health Perinatal depression, which includes major and minor depressive episodes that occur during pregnancy or in the first 12 months after delivery, is one of the most common medical complications during pregnancy and the postpartum period, affecting one in seven women. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends that obstetrician–gynecologists and other obstetric care providers screen patients at least once during the perinatal period for depression and anxiety symptoms using a standardized, validated tool. Postpartum depression (PPD) affects one in eight women; however, the risk is 1.6 times higher for Black women than White women. Black women are less likely to receive help due to factors such as financial barriers, stigma associated with mental health struggles, structural racism and a historical mistrust of the health care system. Maternal mental health symptoms and issues among Black women are often overlooked and under-addressed.	The hospital facility provides perinatal depression screening and referral services. The hospital facility provides perinatal depression screening and referral services including CSSR (Suicide Severity Rating Scale) on admission and Edinburgh in the Mother and Baby Unit. Hospital facility refers patients to services if needed.
Postpartum Family Planning Postpartum family planning is the process of planning for the future of a family after the birth of a child. This includes discussing and deciding on contraception, spacing of pregnancies, and other family planning options. Postpartum family planning is important for maternal health because it helps to reduce the risk of unintended pregnancies and the associated health risks. It also helps to ensure that women have the time and resources to recover from childbirth and to bond with their newborns. Additionally, postpartum family planning can help to reduce the risk of maternal mortality and morbidity, as well as to improve the overall health of mothers and their families.	The hospital facility provides counseling for all forms of birth control and prescriptions for oral birth control. Patients are provided with a variety of family planning resources depending on the patient’s need. The hospital facility offers contraceptive counseling at all postpartum visits. Often, clinicians discuss family planning during prenatal visits. Patients may choose to have birth control administered surgically while the patient is still in the hospital after the birth of the baby.
Access to Early Prenatal Care Early prenatal care can reduce risks for complications related to pregnancy or birth. Early identification can ensure that women with complex problems, chronic illnesses, or other risks are connected to appropriate specialists. Early high-quality prenatal care is critical to improving pregnancy outcomes.	Hospital facility collects information on early prenatal care. 58.32% of mothers who had live births at this facility reported first prenatal visit during the first trimester. Information on prenatal care is collected and shared via Epic, an electronic health records system, collected through various encounters.
Patient Satisfaction By collecting patient feedback, hospitals can identify areas of improvement and make necessary changes to ensure the delivery experience is as positive as possible. Collecting patient satisfaction related to the experience of care during labor and delivery can help reduce racial disparities by providing insights into the quality of care received by people from different racial backgrounds, allowing hospitals to identify and address disparities. By understanding the unique challenges faced by different racial groups, hospitals can better tailor their services and create a more equitable healthcare system.	The hospital facility collects patient satisfaction data during a labor and delivery stay and postpartum care for all patients. Patient satisfaction data is collected via Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers Systems (HCAHPS) and during patient rounds. The hospital facility shares aggregate or summary results of patient satisfaction surveys with the internal care team. This information is shared monthly through emails and meetings. Staff are also able to look at reports in real time on a hospital-wide basis.
Mama Certified Promotion The Mama Certified badge is a symbol of commitment and trust that should be present during a mom’s entire birthing journey, from prenatal care to postpartum support. For bringing about change, visibility and repetition is key. These visual reminders are not only important for moms but also for staff.	The hospital facility demonstrates its public commitment to Mama Certified through the distribution of physical, digital and portable communication tools The hospital facility will share graphics and messaging on TriHealth social channels, TriHealth.com, BabyScripts (prenatal app) and MyChart. The hospital facility will include physical signage in the practices and in the hospital facility.
Training & Staff Engagement Training helps hospital staff recognize that biases exist and helps them take steps to reduce the impact of those biases on workplace interactions and decisions.	The hospital facility has actively participated in training and engagement of staff as it relates to Mama Certified. Implicit bias training has been provided to 100% of Perinatal Programs and Services staff at both hospital facilities by the Vincent Brown Group. This work has been completed over the past two years and remains ongoing as new hires enter the organization. TriHealth's Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Belonging (DEI+B) department offers implicit bias training to all TriHealth team members, including ED staff, throughout the year. The majority (>50%) of Women's Health and OBGYN staff have participated in the online ‘Intro to Mama Certified’ training offered by Cradle Cincinnati. Four members of hospital facility leadership serve on the Cradle Cincinnati Learning Collaborative Circle of Advisors.
Center the Voices of Patients with Lived Experiences with Queens Village Centering the voices of those with lived experiences is essential for creating a more inclusive, equitable, and empathetic society. It fosters a culture of listening, learning, and empathy, ultimately leading to better outcomes for all members of society.	The hospital facility is actively working with Queens Village to center the voices of patients with lived experiences. The hospital facility will participate in quarterly dialogue meetings with a facility-specific Queens Village Patient Family Advisory Board (PFAC) composed of Black mothers, hospital staff and leaders to collaborate on co-creating strategies supporting equitable maternal and infant health.
Pathways to Improvement Crafting strategies to improve maternal and infant health is essential for driving systemic change by enabling targeted interventions, fostering collaboration and engagement, facilitating learning and adaptation, and building momentum for sustained impact. It provides a structured approach to addressing complex systemic issues and achieving meaningful and lasting transformation.	The hospital facility has outlined the following strategies to improve maternal and infant health. OBGyn Center will provide obstetrics and gynecological services to all, with special attention to health disparities and the underserved, improving mortality outcomes and women’s health. Woman-Centered Medical Home model will provide a complex network of care, delivered by dedicated case managers, social workers, lactation consultants, behavioral health consultants, community health workers, financial counselors, and legal aid consultants to provide excellent care while addressing social determinants of health. HOPE program will provide patient-centered care to chemically dependent pregnant women improving birth outcomes and maternal substance-free outcomes. The Compassionate Respectful and Equitable (CaRE) Project will address social determinants of health for pregnant and postpartum patients through screenings and connection to community resources, receive patient feedback and adjust care delivery models to meet patient needs, and offer race stratification of patient feedback. The hospital facility participates in the following initiatives to improve maternal and infant health: Ohio Council to Advance Maternal Health (OH-CAMH).
	The hospital facility received 97.1% of the measurable points for the Maternal Care Focus Area.	97.1%

Bethesda North Hospital

Mama Certification

Infant Care

The hospital facility promotes, protects and supports breastfeeding in their organization.

Maternal Care